Patron Saint of Lost Causes

chapter 9: you don't know me (at all)

I wanna ask you

Do you ever sit and wonder,
It's so strange
That we could be together for
So long, and never know, never care
What goes on in the other one's head?

Things I've felt but I've never said
You said things that I never said
So I'll say something that I should have said long ago:

You don't know me at all
(You don't know me)
You don't know me at all (at all)

--"You Don't Know Me (At All)" by Ben Folds and Regina Spektor

monday

Derek walked out of his last class with his half-zipped backpack dangling recklessly off his shoulder. Whatever he'd learned in class was already forgotten; he had practice in thirty minutes and he was more than ready. His first varsity game was on Friday and it was all he could think about.

He rounded the corner and nearly ran over two overeager freshmen. "Hey, Morgan!" they chorused.

"Hey," he said, slightly startled.

"Are you ready for the game on Friday?" the wide-shouldered blond asked.

"Sure hope so," he said. He shifted his backpack so he could zip it shut the rest of the way. "You two are junior varsity, right? You're Joseph Neal, and..."

"Arik Dallas," the dark-haired one said. "Yeah, and you're a legend on the JV team, dude. Last year you were second string JV and now you're a starter on varsity?"

Derek grinned. The flattery made his heart flap against his ribs. "Well, don't speak too soon, Coach Buford hasn't decided if he wants me to start yet," he said. "And besides, the growth spurt I had last summer sure helped."

A big hand clapped on his shoulder. "Don't sell yourself so short, Morgan. You put in a lot of hard work this summer and it shows."

He turned around to see two of his older varsity teammates standing behind him- Jordan Maclain, a movie star handsome senior, and Tanner Thornton, a heavily freckled junior with a gap between his front teeth. Suddenly he felt as starstruck as Dallas and Neal. "Oh, hey," he said, unable to think of anything else to say.

"Seriously, boys, take a page from Morgan's book," Maclain said. "He did everything right. That growth spurt helped, but nothing replaces dedication."

"Thanks," he stammered out.

Suddenly a blonde comet hurtled into him, clattering in her oxford heels. "Chocolate thunder!" Penelope said, throwing her arms around his waist. "I know you have practice tonight, but I just found out from a very reliable source- which is my own incredible hacking ability, thank you very much- that they're going to have corn nuggets in the dining hall tonight. I'll save you some in case you're running late!"

"Thanks, baby girl, you're an angel," he laughed.

"See you later! Have a good time at practice!" she said. "Bye, Derek's football friends!"

She skittered to rejoin JJ and Spencer at the end of the hallway; JJ offered a small wave, but Spencer stayed half hidden behind her. "Was that your girlfriend?" Maclain teased.

Derek's cheeks heated up. "No, no, just a friend," he said. "She's like that with everybody."

Neal dug around for a second in his backpack and feigned surprise. "Oh, I...forgot something," he said. He grinned at Dallas. "Let's go look for it."

"Yeah," Dallas said. "See you later."

The two of them scurried off after JJ and Penelope. Maclain checked his phone. "We'd better be going too," he said. "Practice is in twenty minutes, and you know how Coach gets."